District Twelve's First Victor
by eveland75
Summary: District 12 has only had 2 Victors in 74 years. Who was the First? Where they did come from? How did they win? What became of them?
1. Chapter 2

As you walked along the pathway to the mine there were shacks scattered about, just yards in front of the fence that led into the wilderness beyond District 12. The Jackson family lived at the end of the lane, John, Sarah and their three children, Margaret, Jacob and Collin. John was a miner until an explosion took one of his legs from the knee down. The children weren't old enough to work so Sarah took a job working for the Donner's at the Sweet Shop in town, but the meager income wasn't enough to feed a family of 5.

Late one evening in the spring, John took out the small tube of sleep syrup that Lillie Mindler had made for him. He'd traded his Daddy's pocket watch for it. He gave each of the children a small amount, just enough to put each of them to sleep early that night. Enough so they'd forget the raw hunger in their bellies, and so they wouldn't hear or see what was coming. John went out back and stared up at the stars for a few minutes before getting to work. The half-dead Apple Tree out back was still sturdy enough to get the job done. He pulled out the rope from underneath the back steps and double checked the noose that he'd tied a few days earlier.

He climbed the tree until he found the branch that he wanted and meticulously began weaving the rope around it, making sure it wouldn't come loose. Once the rope was secure, he worked his way down and sat on another branch and pulled the noose over his head. He had just settled the loose rope around his neck, and taken the sleep syrup out of his pocket, when the branch he was sitting on snapped, sending him face first onto the ground.

When he finally came around, his whole body hurt and he was dizzy. He rolled over and managed to get up onto his hands and knees. The moon was high and full and the yard was eerily lit and seemed to have an oily shine where the branch had slammed into the ground next to him.

John ran his fingers over the surface when he realized two things. There was a seam of Coal right in his back yard and the coal, shale, rock and clay were preventing the Apple tree from blooming.

When Sarah came home that night John showed her what he'd found and they began to make a plan.

The next morning John went to the mine inspector, and traded a few coins for an old cracked shovel. Sarah brought home an empty crate from the sweet shop and they put their plan to work. Every morning for two weeks they woke the children just as the sun began rising and with John's direction, Jacob would dig around the apple tree, scraping a way at the hard clay and rock beneath it. Collin was in charge of spreading the debris out across the yard or scraping it under the foundation of the shack. Sarah and Maggie would take the crate and slide under the fence into the Meadow where they would use their hands to fill the crate with rich soil. Jacob and Collin would then drag the crate back under the fence and fill in the empty holes around the apple tree. The tree seemed to resist the change at first and began to wither even worse, but after one evening of fine spring rain the tree seemed to settle into the new rich soil and began to blossom.

The tree provided a small amount of fruit to eat and trade. Sarah couldn't stop working at the sweet shop, but the tree had given the Jackson family hope. As the end of the growing season came to an end, John broke the cracked shovel head off the handle and began to sharpen the edges of the metal with rocks. When fall began turning the leaves into vibrant red and orange, John took Jacob and Collin out back and showed them the seam of coal in the backyard. He explained to his sons that the coal could be dug up and used or traded.

"Isn't it illegal for anyone but the mine to dig up and sell coal?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, but you won't be 12 and able to sign up for the tressare for another few months and we'll all starve to death by then. Even if we only dig up enough to use for ourselves, it'll mean more food on the table." John explained.

And so the Jackson bootleg mine was started. That first winter the family had enough coal to keep the fire going, but only during the coldest nights. Come growing season the Apple tree began to bloom again and the girls took over the care of the tree while the male's dug away into the black hard ground beneath their feet. Maggie and Jacob still had to take out tressare, but Collin's 12th birthday came and went and John and Sarah didn't sign him up. John slowly started trading small amounts of coal to the citizens of District 12 until one night a sharp knock came on the front door.

The head peace keeper, Benjamin Derck stood there with 2 younger peace keepers Cray and Purina behind him. He nodded at them and stalked into the house and slammed the door shut.

"Something I can help you with?" John asked with a calmness that he didn't feel.

"Two years ago you lost your job and your children were signed up for tressare. Now you seem to be doing just fine and your youngest hasn't signed up for tressare at all." Benjamin barked.

John looked at Lillie "Why don't you take the children for a walk. They love to look at those cakes and cookies in the window of the bakery." Lillie nodded and quickly ushered the children out of the house.

John motioned to Ben to follow him and took him out into the backyard. "Finally got the apple tree to start growing. We've been selling and trading apples for what we need." He explained to Ben.

Ben glowered at the tree and then at John "Yeah, I hear you been trading something else." He flipped an object into the air towards John who had no choice to catch it. A small, rough piece of coal. John felt his body break out into a cold sweat. "Lot of folk around here hoard coal and trade it for food. I got 3 kids to feed, Can't hold that against a man."

Ben stepped forward and poked John in the chest "I find out your stealing or digging and then trading coal illegally I will personally assemble the firing squad." They were standing mere feet away from the hole in the ground that John had covered with old leaves and branches. John could not afford for Ben to come poking around. He lowered his head and nodded "Yes Sir."

As they walked back around the house, Ben barked at Cray "Make sure our friend here knows that we mean business." And he stomped off. Cray stood awkwardly, holding his baton, looking at John. John sighed heavily and walked into the house. He took his wooden cane and pushed a large crate of fresh apples towards Cray. "It's a week's supply of trade. I'd be mighty honored to have a peace keeper such as yourself to have it and pass on the word that John Jackson is a fair, honest man."

Cray took the apples and began to leave. When he got the front door, without turning back, he said quietly "Trade in town, not at houses and sign your youngest up for the tressare." And then he was gone.

The family had no choice but to sign up Collin for the tressare, but only once for each year, Sarah refused to even consider more than that. The apple tree kept blossoming and the little bootleg mine slowly got deeper. 4 years later, Maggie reached 20 and had taken over Sarah's job at the Sweet Shop. John had built up a small clientele of merchants who would buy the coal and often bribed the coal mine supervisors for better tools. The boys were thin but strong from digging and breaking coal. In the fall Jacob would be old enough to go work in the mines. The family had managed to stay together and somehow, stay alive.


	2. Chapter 2 - Reaping Day

**THE REAPING**

The reaping day came that year and it was cloudy and windy. Harmony, the woman from the capitol stood on the make shift stage. She was an older woman, short and wispy with matching blue hair, eye shadow, and nails. Her outfit was a bright, neon green and her boots shiny yellow. "Well I'm glad I wore my yellow boots today. Bring a little shine to your day and put the odds in your favor." She said in that high capitol pitched accent.

First came the girl tribute. This year it would be Janet Atkins, the mayor's daughter. Upon hearing Harmony read the name the Mayors wife screamed and fainted in her chair, crashing to the floor of the stage. The mayor quickly kneeled down and gathered her into his arms but his glaring eyes never left Harmony. When Janet took the stage, Harmony was all but vibrating with excitement and threw her arms around the girl. "What an exciting day! Let's hear a hearty round of applause for Janet." Harmony boomed. The crowd, stunned at this stood silently for a full minute before reluctantly clapping.

When it was the boy's turn, Harmony dug deep into the bowl before returning. "Collin Jackson." She read.

Collin felt a strong arm grip his elbow and looked up to see Jacob staring at him. "Don't even think about it. They need you." Collin muttered before slowly walking up to the stage. As he passed Ben Derck he heard the old peacekeeper snicker "Let's see your daddy trade you out of this." He said snidely. But there would be no volunteers, no trading for Collin Jackson's life, he was heading for the arena.

When it came time to say good-byes the only person to show up to see Collin was his father. John Jackson sat down in front of his youngest son heavily. "All right my boy, you may be small but you're strong and you're going to come home alive." He said solemnly.

Collin exhaled the breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. "But how?"

For the next half hour John Jackson laid out his plan and made Collin promise that he'd stick as close to it as he could. At the end of the half hour he gave his son the small rough piece of coal that he always kept in his pocket. "We may be a poor, rough district son, but you stand up and be proud of where you came from and what the Jackson family has accomplished." He gave his son a long, hard hug only letting go when the peace keepers came in to take Collin a way.

When Harmony ushered them onto the train platform the camera crews were there to get a glimpse of the tributes but it was Mrs. Atkins who stole the show. She was wailing and yelling at the unfairness of the reaping. Two Peace Keepers were forcibly holding her back, and Janet was muttering to her father that her mother was embarrassing her in front of the whole country. Mayor Atkins and the two peace keepers finally got Mrs. Atkins into the justice building and Harmony ushered them up onto the train.

There was no mentor, No one to from home to guide Collin and Janet on that journey. That first night on the train Janet and Collin sat down to dinner with Harmony. Collin had never sat at such a fine table with fancy plates and eating tools. He watched Janet carefully and mimicked her movements with a fork and knife. The food was better than anything that Collin had ever tasted and he ate slowly, trying to savor and enjoy every bite.

After watching the recap of the reaping Harmony sighed and said "Well my darlings, it was quite a show. Janet, maybe you can use your position as the mayor's daughter to gain some sympathy from the sponsors." Janet nodded but didn't say anything. Harmony went to bed, leaving Janet and Collin to sit silently in the fancy train car. "I'm sorry about your mother." Collin said quietly.

"My father buys coal from your family." Janet said out of nowhere.

Collin looked over at her surprised, His father was very careful and very secretive about who his business clientele. "How do you know that?"

Janet looked out the window a long moment before answering "As the mayor, Daddy is in the public eye all of the time. As you can see my mother is very fragile and we need the extra warmth in the winter so she doesn't get sick. But me, If I happen to visit the sweet shop and slip some extra coins to your mother, well no one notices. The extra coal is always in our bin outside the next morning."

Collin nodded, it was him and Jacob who frequently arose in the middle of the night to deliver the coal. Mr. Atkins was the mayor had an office in his house, but of course the capitol didn't care about this and gave the Atkins family the same coal allowance as the rest of the district citizens.

"How are we going to get through this?" Janet asked quietly.

"With dignity." Replied Collin, echoing his father's words.

Janet laughed harshly "I don't think my mother just gave me that option and dignity is not going to matter once we're in the arena."

"No, but it will during the interviews and it may just get you some sponsors." Collin told her.

Janet nodded thoughtfully. "Collin, I know I have no right to ask this, but will you help me? Will you make sure that my death doesn't embarrass my family?"

Collin raised an eyebrow at her "You're the mayor's daughter, and you're asking help from a poor coal miner's son? I had to watch you at dinner so _I didn't humiliate myself_."

Janet smiled sadly "I may have manners but you know how to survive and stay alive. How about we stick together until the gong sounds?"

Collin nodded "Ok. Maybe between the two of us, we can figure out how to get one of us home alive."


	3. Chapter 3 - The Capitol

**The Capitol**

The next morning as the train arrived in the capitol Janet said to Collin "You realize the stylists are going to make us the laughing stock of the capitol?"

Collin sighed "Not much we can do about that."

Janet stood up straighter, more determined now "We'll see about that. The first half is just getting prepared for the stylists. The more we cooperate the more likely they are to listen to us."

"Do we even have a say in it?" asked Collin

Janet shook her head "Not usually, but if we refuse to wear ridiculous costumes and threaten to refuse to go out for the chariot ride, they aren't going to have much of a choice."

"Can't they force us?" asked Collin

Janet nodded "Yes, but that makes them look bad. If we let the prep team get us ready without complaining, they'll put in a good word and then maybe with some sweet words and maybe some sucking up, we can make requests of the stylist."

Collin nodded "Well the odds are we're going to die, so there's nothing to lose in trying." The two were separated and sent to their individual rooms where their prep teams were waiting.

Collin gritted his teeth and didn't say a word while his prep team bathed him, waxed his skin and used some sharp object to get the coal dirt from under his nails. When he was finally sent to lunch in a private room where his stylist would be, he was surprised to see 3 people in the room.

Janet, her stylist Celeste and his own stylist Roman. As they sat down to eat, the discussions for the evening's costumes was brought up. Celeste wanted to put them both in skin tight pants, a miner's hard hat and black ash scattered on their chests to represent coal dust. Janet smiled sweetly and said how that miner costume has been over-done. She made a few suggestions as to better costumes. Celeste and Roman did not want to hear it and an hour later, a bitter argument had ensued.

Finally Collin had enough, he slammed his fist down onto the table rendering the other 3 completely silent. "Janet is the daughter of the mayor and should be dressed as her father's position demands."

Roman snickered "Being mayor in the poorest district is nothing to be proud of here, especially after the scene her mother made."

Collin leaned forward "Being a stylist to two children who flat out refuse to show up for the parade in the capitol is nothing to brag about either so I suggest you shut up and listen."

Celeste gasped "You can't talk to us that way. We'll call the peace keepers."

Janet laughed "What are they going to do? Force us? Kill us? Force us and **_you _**will be humiliated, Kill us and have no one from District 12 to send into the arena, the president may even send you in to replace us."

Celeste and Roman exchanged a long glance. "What do you want?" asked Roman cautiously.

A few hours later as the parade began the chariot for District 12 left the stables and out into the open street where a very surprised population of the Capitol gawked.

Janet wore a very simple green dress, minimal make up and her hair in a sleek pony tail. Collin wore a red and green plaid dress shirt, blue jeans and work boots. The most surprising though was the folded red and white checkered picnic blanket folded up with a small basket of fresh apples in a simple wooden crate situated on the chariot in between them. By the time the parade had made its procession back to the training center the Citizens of the Capitol were clapping and pointing at Janet and Collin.

Harmony was waiting in the training center to take them to their temporary living quarters. As she guided them to the elevators she gushed over how simple and plain their outfits were.

"What a brilliant move by your stylists. At first I thought they were idiots but No one ever does anything plain here so it was definitely a good plan." She gushed.

Janet and Collin exchanged a smile and let Harmony gush on about their costumes and how she was going to have plenty of sponsors for them.

After dinner when the parade was shown on TV the announcers were completely stunned when the District 12 chariot came out. Finally Caesar Flickerman recovered "A picnic blanket and apples! How utterly charming." They went on to talk about the coal mining district and how the plain, simple costumes reflected the life of the citizens in District 12.

**** Training ****

The next morning at breakfast it was only Collin and Janet as Harmony would be awake before 10 a.m.

"Ok I did my part. It's your turn now." Janet announced over scrambled eggs and bacon.

Collin nodded. "Do you have any skills or talents that may help you while we're in the arena?" he asked.

Janet grimaced "No, I'm afraid being the mayor's daughter means I've learned to play the piano, paint and organize dinners."

Collin nodded "Ok, well we've got three days and I'm sure you can learn some basic survival skills."

"Survival skills are not going to keep me alive for long." Janet pointed out.

"We'll see." Collin said as one of the capitol servants came to let them know it was time to head down to the training center.

It was when they were standing in a group for orientation that Collin got a first look at what he was up against. As he looked around he realized that most of the districts must be nearly as poor as the people from 12. Except for the Tributes from Districts 1, 2 & 4, everyone else looked gaunt and small.

During the first day Collin and Janet stuck together and Collin made Janet learn to start a fire, wield a knife and find berries and nuts that were edible. "There'll be food in the Cornucopia" Janet whined.

Collin nodded towards the kids from Districts 1, 2 and 4 who seemed to have formed a team "Do you really think they're going to let you near it?"

At lunch time the 6 tributes who had teamed up sat together. Janet and Collin sat together and everyone else sat as far away from everyone else as they could. The rest of the afternoon passed quickly and the next morning Collin found what Janet's best skill was.

They were standing at the camouflage station and Janet painted Collin's arm into an array of fall leaves.

Collin stared at his arm in utter shock. "Janet, do you know what this means?"

"That I can paint someone to death?" she replied sarcastically.

Collin laughed "No, it means that with a little dirt, water and plants in the arena you can camouflage yourself and no one will be able to find you!"

Janet looked up at Collin and smiled. The rest of the afternoon they patiently worked on painting, and using leaves, dirt and branches from the fire starting station to work on their camouflage skills.

At lunch time Janet went to the Ladies room, she was visibly upset when she got back.

"That brute, the one from District 2 said I'm very pretty and He sure wouldn't mind a pretty girl to pass the time in the arena." She told Collin.

"The Tributes from 1, 2 and 4 usually do team up and it means that you'd live longer but once the rest of the tributes are eliminated they always turn on each other." Collin replied. "Maybe we can use it to our advantage, if he comes near you again try to be sweet and flirty with him."

That afternoon Collin notice the District 2 boy throwing spears and knives by himself.

"Janet, go see if you can cozy up to him. See what you can find out about him and the others."

Janet looked horrified "I wouldn't even know what to say to him, He's so big and scary."

Collin nodded "Tell him that, tell him how strong and scary he is. I promise you flattery will get you everywhere."

Janet walked over tepidly and waited until the boy noticed her. It worked, she spent the rest of the afternoon with him. He showed her how to throw spears and knives, and by the end of the day he had introduced her to the rest of the "Careers" as they called themselves.

When they got back to their quarters that night Harmony asked to speak to Janet alone. The boy from District 2 had requested that she join his team in the arena. Collin and Janet didn't speak of it at dinner in front of Harmony who kept on a warbling dialogue about the upcoming interviews and how to best appeal to the sponsors.

The next morning Collin had a plan. He explained to Janet what he wanted her to do and how they were going to make sure one of them came home alive. Janet went down first that morning and Collin waited ten minutes before heading down to the training center. He spent the morning stretching and lifting weights. Janet spent the morning with her new team learning their strategy.

At lunch time, Janet was sitting with the careers when Collin walked by their table. Janet glared at him and muttered to the District 2 boy "I can't wait to kill him myself." Collin smiled to himself and found an unoccupied table.

After lunch came the private sessions with the game makers. You had 15 minutes to show them your special skill and impress them. In turn they would rank you from 1 to 12, 12 being the best score you could obtain. District 12 always went last so by the time Collin went out onto the training floor the game makers were drunk, half asleep, talking amongst themselves and one gentleman sat reading a book.

Collin quickly grabbed a spear and pulled the sharp end of the spear off leaving just the metal pole. He then grabbed some rope and two knives. Using the rope, he fashion a crude pick axe and went over to the small section that housed a few trees and was meant to be a small forest. He swung the pick axe and began digging into the ground as hard and as fast as he could. A few of the game makers perked up at the strength of this thin, small boy. They quickly got bored watching him dig and went back to their talking and drinking. When the buzzer went off to indicate that Collin's time was up he was nowhere to be found.

All of the game makers were now paying attention and after a few minutes the head game maker, Roger Lombard finally ordered Collin to show himself. Collin popped up from a pile of leaves and stepped out onto the floor. Behind him was a hole big enough for Collin to have hid in and cover himself with branches and leaves.

After a minute of total silence Roger Lombard had collected himself enough to dismiss Collin. As he headed for the elevator he heard the excited chatter among them. He went back up to his room and took a shower and waited for Janet to come back.

That night it was time for the scores. The tributes from 1, 2 and 4 of course scored high while the rest of the districts came up no higher than a 7 until the time came for them to announce the scores for the District 12 tributes. Both Janet and Collin came in with a score of 9. Harmony was beside herself and hugged both of them and congratulated them. The District 12 tributes had never scored higher than a 6.

"I have a party tonight and I cannot wait to brag about my tribute's scores!" Harmony squealed before running out the door.

After she was gone Collin and Janet sat down and Janet explained what the tribute careers had planned. 2 would hunt, 2 would sleep and 1 would take watch.

"What about the 6th?" Collin asked

Janet blinked back tears "They're going to kill the girl from District 4 right away. She's very bossy and rude and she argues with the rest of them about everything."

Collin sighed "I know this is hard for you, but remember they have to die for one of us to live."

Janet nodded "Collin, I don't think I can kill these people in cold blood."

Collin looked at Janet closely and wished they had become friends under better circumstances, where dying before you were adult never happened. "Well then you're going to have to be the one on guard duty."

"What am I going to do when it's my turn to hunt?"

Collin grimaced "You're going to have to pretend you're looking for other tributes. If you come across one, let your partner do the dirty work. The kill will still put you on the score board and help with sponsors but at least you won't be the one with blood on your hands."

"What about you? You know I won't be a part of them killing you" Janet asked.

Collin looked directly into her eyes "Just stick to the plan, I'll make it."

"We've stuck together for the past few days and in the end at least one of us has to die for The other to live. I don't want it to come down to just the two of us." Janet said softly.

Collin nodded "The game makers would love that, but the odds are it won't happen. There are going to be 22 other people in that arena and they all want to live just as badly as we do."

They sat in silence for a long time before going to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

******** Interviews ** **

Breakfast the next morning was quiet and somber. Interviews would be today and the only thing left to do was show up and try to make the crowd remember you.

That evening the tributes were sitting on the stage in a semi-circle around Caesar Flickerman. Each tribute had a 3 minute interview with Caesar and now was the time to impress the sponsors. The time went quickly and when Janet stood up to join Caesar a hush went over the crowd. She was wearing a beautiful white dress that was both sexy and innocent. It had a V-neck to show off her cleavage, and was cinched at the waist, but then it fell in a frothy lace over silk to her knees. Her shoes were plain, white, flat sandals. Her hair was again in a sleek pony tail and her make up was minimal. If the crowd had any doubts about her, when she handed a bright red, beautiful apple to Caesar, they were completely won over. Caesar held the apple up to show the crowd and they went wild.

Caesar and Janet sat down and Caesar asked Janet about the chariot ride and the picnic blanket. Janet smiled "Everyone knows District 12 for its coal, but if they'd ever had the chance to taste our apple pie they'd think twice about that coal."

Caesar laughed and said that Janet looked as sweet and lush as the apple. Janet laughed and patted Caesar's arm "Flattery will get you everywhere." She teased him.

Caesar became serious and asked Janet how she felt being reaped as she was the daughter of the major. Janet smiled "Well Caesar, my mother has always told me that we must have manners and dignity. Daddy may receive visitors from the capitol at any time and it's our job to represent our District with charm and pride. So here I am tonight and I hope to make my parents proud and show the dignity and pride that they taught me."

Caesar took Janet's hand "Well you certainly have young lady, and I'm sure your parents are very proud of you right now."

The buzzer sounded and the crowd stood and applauded as Janet made her way back to her seat.

It was Collin's turn. He was dressed in a white dress shirt with the top button undone, black dress pants and plain leather shoes.

Caesar began by asking Collin about District Twelve's apple pie. "Well Caesar, Janet's Mamma may make the best apple pie, but my father's apple tree supplies the best apples in town."

The crowd laughed as Caesar and Collin examined the apple that Janet had given to him for any flaws. Caesar turns the attention towards the tribute scores and how for the first time in history District Twelve's tributes scored higher than a 6. "Tell us what you're made of to get a score of 9." Caesar says with all seriousness.

Collin looks directly at the crowd "Providing the best apples means being able to climb and navigate a tree and its branches. Picking fruit, filling crates and carrying them to the market. Trimming the tree and cutting up the branches for fire wood. It means feeding your family and surviving."

Caesar nods "And being able to survive is a key strategy in the games." He says quietly.

Collin smiled and buzzer rings. The time to impress and to garner sponsors has come to end. The time has come to survive.

When they got back to their quarters Harmony was waiting to say good-bye. If possible she was dressed more lavishly and looked more ridiculous than she did at the reaping. For the first time since the games had started she was finally being invited to parties and asked to come speak with some of the sponsors.

She took one of Janet and Collin's hands into hers and said "You have been wonderful and I promise that I will get you sponsors. You'll probably die, but no one will be able to say that I didn't do my part." She squeezed their hands and left.

Janet looked at Collin tiredly "Do you think we'll get any sleep tonight?"

Collin put his hand on Janet's arm "It's going to be a rough few weeks ahead, so you're going to have to try and get some sleep tonight."

Janet nodded and went to bed. Collin prowled the dark living quarters for a while before settling down on the window sill looking out at the crowd and losing himself in the colors and blur of human activity. He nodded off and woke up around 2 a.m. The streets were empty and quiet so he went to find something to eat and drink. He stood at the table eating fancy little cakes and drinking milk when Janet wandered out wrapped in a blanket.

She kept clutching and unclutching and the edges of the blanket and Collin could see the anxiety and fear in her eyes. He drew her over to the couch, and sat down pulling her into his arms. "Go to sleep, I won't let anything hurt you."

Roman and Celeste found them huddled together asleep on the couch the next morning.

"Oh, how sweet." Celeste proclaimed. "They really did make us look good this year."

Roman nodded "Won't be so sweet when that gong goes off today." And gently nudged the two awake.

**** The Games ** Day 1 **

Collin stood in the tribute room built underneath the arena with Roman. Roman sat patiently while Collin stretched, and anxiously paced around. The clothing that he received was simple, a plain hunter green t-shirt, khaki pants, work boots and a brown, fleece lined jacket. Roman had said the clothing most likely meant there would be woods and maybe snow, definitely cooler weather that the jacket would be needed for.

The time finally came and Roman shook Collin's hand "Good Luck, Thank You for letting Celeste and I take the credit for your outfits this year. It'll reflect on us in the years to come." Collin nodded and stepped onto the plate that would transport him above ground into the arena.

The metal plate seemed to rise up both agonizingly slowly and far too quickly in Collin's mind and when it stopped 24 young men and women stood in a circle around the Cornucopia. You had one full minute to gather your bearings and take in your surroundings before the gong sounded and you were allowed to leave your metal plate.

Collin looked around and realized quickly the arena was divided into four equal sections. Each one representing the seasons of weather: Winter Spring, Fall and Summer. Collin was standing on a plate surrounded by dewy wet spring grass. Directly across from him was the fall section and what looked to be a mountain looming behind it. That's where he wanted to go and he looked around for Janet. She was nowhere to be seen so she must be on the other side of the cornucopia. He positioned himself to run and as the countdown for the last 10 seconds began an explosion rocked the ground.

Debris began to fly up and what was left of the tribute 2 spokes over was raining down onto the ground. The gong went off but half of the tributes were so startled by the explosion that they didn't move. Collin was three quarters of the way to the Cornucopia by the time any of them had recovered. He quickly grabbed a knife, a duffel bag and a plastic sheet before the Careers appeared.

The boy from district 2 handed Janet a large knife "Take care of him while we go secure the other side." And he disappeared. Collin nodded at Janet, turned and took off running with her hot on his heels. At the edge of the tree line where the fall section Collin let Janet catch up to him and they tumbled to the ground. They grappled a bit and Collin ended up with the knife Janet was holding but not before she had torn part of his jacket open. Collin shoved her to the ground. He pointed the knife down at her, knowing the cameras were watching, and said coldly "Just this once because your father is such a good customer." And he took off running toward the mountain.

Janet grabbed a rock and hurried back down to the Cornucopia. She had seen the blood bath of the games on TV, but nothing prepared her for the sight in front of her. The smell of fresh blood, the cries for mercy and the sound of fighting.

"They have to die for you to live" she kept muttering over and over as she quickly grabbed supplies from the ground around the dead bodies. Only one of them wasn't dead. Janet leaned over a boy to grab the bag of dried fruit that lay next to him when he opened his eyes. Janet jumped back and the boy sat up and grabbed the front of her shirt. She didn't stop to think, she swung the rock as hard as she could into his head. The boy's eyes rolled up into his head and he slumped back to the ground.

"Nice job Janet." The boy from district 2 said as he came jogging up.

"Thanks Miller, I didn't even know he was still alive." Janet replied.

Miller grabbed her hand "Well he won't be for long, let's go get these stinking bodies out of the way and make camp."

They made their way back to the Cornucopia where the tributes from District 1, David and Glory were sorting the supplies into piles. The tributes from District 2 Leona and Christian were already out hunting. David and Miller left Janet with Glory to sort the supplies while they went to find out who was already dead, move their bodies out of the way and figure out who was left.

By the time it was all done and evening had fallen there were already 8 dead tributes and 16 left to play. Cristian had returned, without Leona, and was quite shaken up. They had given chase to 3 tributes who headed for the summer portion of the arena when they had run into a tracker jack nest. One of the tributes and Leona were swarmed and stung to death. That narrowed the field to 14. Janet got Christian some water and food and sat with him while the other three were deciding who was going hunting. Janet got Christian to lay down while she posted some gas lamps around the perimeter of their camp. In the meantime David stayed and Glory and Miller headed out to hunt.

Once Christian & David fell asleep Janet went to work and found a few bags of nuts and dried fruit, and tied them up in a blanket. She took the blanket and tied the edges around the handle of a pick axe. She stashed a few things in her pockets, grabbed one of the lanterns and carefully tip toed over to the fall section of the arena. Collin stood at the base of a tree waiting for her.

She handed Collin the bundle and pulled from her pocket a bag of berries and a small pot. She quickly mashed up the berries and painted Collin's face. "It's sticky enough to add some leaves to." She said quietly. Collin nodded "I'm heading up the mountain, you remember how to find me?" Janet nodded and squeezed Collin's hand "You better get out of here and hidden before it gets dark."

Collin faded back into the forest and Janet went back to the Cornucopia to stand guard. David was sitting against the cornucopia eating beef strips "And just where were you?" He asked snidely.

"Thought I heard someone." Janet said casually.

David raised an eyebrow "And you went to go look empty handed?"

Janet snickered and pulled up her jacket to reveal and large seraded knife strapped to her belt. She pulled it out and the point was stained red. What Janet knew and David didn't, was the blade was stained with berry juice, not blood. "I might be from District 12 but I'm not stupid." She sneered and sat down on a turned over crate.

When the Careers came back in the morning they were tired and had only managed to find and kill 1 tribute bringing the field down to 13. Janet already had food and water waiting for them and sat while they decided who would stay and who would go back out.

In the meantime Collin had climbed halfway up the mountain until he found a cluster of strong Maple Trees not far from a stream. He quickly dug a hole at the bottom of one of the trees, stashed his duffel bag, pick axe and plastic on the bottom before climbing in and covering himself with the blanket and leaves. Twice he heard someone nearby and nearly didn't breathe until he knew they were gone. He finally fell into a restless sleep. In the morning he quickly ate and got water before climbing one of the trees and got a good look at the arena. There was a lake over in the Spring Section, a small pond in the summer section and it was lightly snowing in the winter section. He was satisfied with the knowledge that he could find water in any of the sections and settled into a fork deep in the heart of the trees for the day


	5. Chapter 5 - The Games Continue

**Day 2**

Down at the cornucopia it was decided that Janet and David would go out hunting, Christian would stand watch while Miller and Glory slept. Janet was really nervous about hunting with David, he was very mistrustful and seemed to thrive on the killing.

They headed into the Fall sector and David sneered "You got any skills or talent there girl?"

"My name is Janet, not girl, and I did score a 9 in training."

David stopped and looked at her "Yeah I wondered how your _manners and dignity_ got a 9."

Janet pulled the small pot out of her pocket, sat down on a rock and grabbed some leaves. Within minutes she could blend right into the background. David was stunned.

"You want to close your big mouth and I'll do the same for you, or do you want to continue walking around with a target on that fat head of yours?" Janet snapped.

David sat down and Janet painted his face brown and green and stuck some green leaves to his forehead, cheeks and chin. "Keep your jacket on and pulled up over your neck." Janet instructed.

The wandered up the mountain stopping only once to catch their breath. They had gone for a few more minutes when an owl nearby hooted. Janet smiled to herself knowing the signal and suggested to David that they head over into the winter section where the Tributes from District 7 might be hiding.

Collin watched David and Janet pass underneath of his tree and let out a few soft owl hoots to let Janet know that he was nearby. Shortly after they turned and began heading east into the winter section.

Collin dropped out of the tree and began to quietly follow them. It wasn't hard, the District 1 boy was bragging about how many kids he had killed at the cornucopia the day before and he wasn't quiet about it. Collin kept them in sight until the temperature began to drop rapidly and he knew they were getting into the winter territory. He thought about following them, he had a feeling that the boy would turn on Janet and kill her without hesitation. His father's words on the reaping day came back to him. "Find yourself water, food and a place to dig a little burrow and don't go anywhere. Don't look for trouble, once you're in the arena, it'll find you." He finally turned back and silently made his way back through the woods. He stopped to pick some berries and was examining them to see if they were okay to eat. He took a smile bite of one and the taste registered. He quickly gathered some and stuffed them into a small pouch and headed back to his own territory and gathered more water and dug his hole a little deeper before climbing back up into his tree.

He nodded off for a while and the blast of a cannon startled him awake. He prayed that Janet was still alive. He looked up and realized dusk was falling and he climbed back down the tree and inched his way down to the edge of the woods where the career pack were.

Janet and David were over in the winter section when the cannon went off. They both crouched behind a rock ledge and waited a few minutes to see if any more cannons went off. It was starting to get dark and Janet knew with David's constant talking and walking around slashing through bushes and leaves that they weren't going to find anyone so she suggested they head back to the cornucopia.

They arrived just as the sun was setting to find Christian, Glory and Miller sitting around eating and joking around. Janet pulled out a bottle of water and began washing the leaves and dirt from her face.

"Who'd you kill?" Glory asked.

"No one" replied David surly.

Glory laughed "Well with little Miss Apple pie, it's no wonder you didn't get anything done."

Janet walked over to face the bigger girl "Maybe since I was the one who camouflaged us so well, they didn't find and _kill us_."

David grunted his agreement "Yeah and tell me again how many you've killed so far?"

Glory backed off and muttered "I'll have a higher count than you after I go hunting tonight."

Miller laughed "You're going to have to kill at least 4 people to keep up with David."

Christian finally spoke up "I'm ready to head out, why don't Glory and I go out tonight?"

David scowled "I'll go with you. These games are getting old quick."

Miller wiggled his eyebrows at Janet "Oh I'm sure Janet and I can keep the capitol entertained."

Janet felt her skin crawl but forced herself to wink at Miller and say lightly "Big, handsome guy like you can entertain me anytime."

Glory scowled and stalked off towards the summer section of the arena. David and Christian followed her.

Miller sat down with his back against the Cornucopia and motioned for Janet to join him. When she sat down next to him, he pulled her into his arms. "Go to sleep for a little while, I'll watch."

Janet couldn't protest without giving away what her plans were so she nodded and slowly relaxed her aching muscles and nodded off.

Collin crouched behind a tree waiting for Miller to fall asleep when suddenly a deafening roar echoed through the air and was getting louder by the second. Collin quickly climbed the tree he was next too just in time for the storm.

Violent Rain and Lightning came pouring down in the Spring and Summer sections, and Heavy Snow and violent gusts of winds began tearing through the fall and winter sections. Branches, rocks, leaves . . basically anything not rooted into the ground began flying into a swirling vortex.

Collin flattened himself onto a sturdy branch and held on as tight as he could.

Janet woke up as the rain and snow began swirling around her and Miller. Suddenly a violent burst a wind came barreling through and throwing supplies and debris everywhere. Miller grabbed her hand "We have to get inside the cornucopia" he was yelling.

They began to edge their way around the front of the cornucopia when an empty crate came flying through the air and smacked Miller in the face. He fell to his knees and blood began gushing out of his nose and running down his soaked face. Jane grabbed his arm and half pulled him to the edge of the cornucopia "We're almost there." Janet yelled.

The sound of wood splintering echoed off the cornucopia when she looked up and saw a pile of food came crashing down. She didn't even have time to look and see if Miller was ok when the darkness came.

Collin heard lightning and cannon blasts echo through the air, but he couldn't make out how many were dead. He was soaked and barely holding onto the tree when the weather began to slowly recede. Once he was sure it was safe, he jumped down from the tree and looked over into the field of debris with the big Cornucopia in the middle. Miller lay half inside the cornucopia, his face plastered in the mud. Janet was nowhere to be seen.

He quickly and silently made his way across the field, picking up stray items that he could use.

He found Janet under a pile of food when he heard Miller moaning. He swore and moved silently towards Miller, holding onto the knife he had gotten from Janet after the initial scramble. He made to the cornucopia and plastered himself against the side of it, listening to Miller trying to drag himself upright. He was about to slide around to face Miller when he heard Janet whisper his name.

He waited until he was sure Miller wouldn't hear him and quickly dashed over to Janet. He reached out and wiped her wet hair out of her face. "How bad off are you?" he whispered.

She was shivering and her teeth chattered when she replied "I don't think anything's broken, but my hip hurts pretty bad. Where's Miller?"

"He's in the Cornucopia, from the sounds of it he is in and out of consciousness. He'd be easy to kill."

"No! No, don't kill him yet!" Janet pleaded "It's only the second day and there are 3 other careers still alive besides him."

Collin sighed "Janet, I can't get you out of here without him hearing and risking getting us both killed."

"Isn't there anything you can do?"

Collin though for a moment. "Ok, but don't move and don't make a sound." He grabbed his knife and crept around the Cornucopia again, listening. Miller wasn't moving around or making a sound so Collin slowly peaked around the edge into the Cornucopia and saw the boy was slumped against the side of the Cornucopia and he soaked and his skin was waxy looking.

Collin took a deep breath and crept into the Cornucopia and felt along Miller's wrist to see if there was a pulse. He had just found the other boy's pulse when a pair of glittering blue eyes started at him. He quickly gripped the knife he was holding a little tighter.

"Kill me, and the others will kill Little Miss Apple Pie." Miller croaked out.

"You're the killer, not me." Collin said viscously. He pulled a rag out of his pocket and the pouch he had tumbled out. He had an idea, he grabbed a nearby container of water and put the container and the pouch on Miller's lap. "Here, have something to eat and drink. It'll give you the strength to help Janet. I'll get the weapons that I want and get out of here. You can say they were lost in the storm."

"Why are you doing this?" Miller asked suspiciously

Collin laughed "I plan on going home after this is all said and done. One act of mercy is a small price to pay for sponsors and making the people in the capitol happy."

Miller snorted but clumsily opened the water and drank deeply before opening the pouch to reveal dried nuts, berries and two strips of beef jerky. "You better get moving then, farmer boy."

Collin slid out of the cornucopia and silently crept along the debris, quickly shoving items into a canvas bag that he found. After ten minutes he made his way back over to Janet. She was unconscious and he didn't try to wake her. He began removing items from the pile until he could move her. She woke when he picked her up to carry her over to the cornucopia "Where's Miller? You didn't kill him did you?" She asked weakly.

"No I gave him some of the berries we make sleep syrup with." He set her inside the Cornucopia gently and wrapped her in a blanket. "He knows I'm alive now, It's going to get a lot harder, be careful." He said before disappearing into the night.

Collin grabbed the canvas bag and began slowly and carefully making his way back up to his little camp. The hole that he had dug was flooded so he climbed the tree, tied himself to the trunk and kept the knife in his right pocket in case he had to cut himself free quickly. He was soaked, tired and hungry when the little leather pouch hooked to a small parachute dropped into his lap. It held a few apples, 2 small green loaves of bread and a handful of beef jerky strips. He ate a loaf of bread and an apple before the anthem came on. 2 more people had died during the storm and of course no such luck that one of them could be the careers. The playing field was down to 11.


End file.
